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en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2017 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/revival-talks-about-death-decoration-and-defenses/https://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/revival-talks-about-death-decoration-and-defenses/https://massively.joystiq.com/2015/01/07/revival-talks-about-death-decoration-and-defenses/#comments

You remember Revival, right? You know, the game funding its development by selling in-game houses? That one. The developers haven't been quiet over the holiday season, with several recent blog posts detailing the high-end concepts behind several of the game's key mechanics -- for example, dying, which doesn't simply leave you to run back to your corpse but forces you to traverse the spirit realm, fighting off malicious spirits and seeking the Mortality Gate to drag yourself back from the dead.

Of course, you can stay alive longer by making use of combat mechanics like the shield wall to defend yourself from dying. You can also use your continued "being alive" status to take advantage of the decoration kits available for housing, which allow you to convert existing rooms with certain fixtures to more functional equivalents. It's all interesting stuff and worth considering if you're sorely tempted to drop a bunch of money on the promise of virtual real estate.

In last week's edition of The Soapbox, Mike Foster reminded us that the grim specter of death comes to us all and asserted that when your time comes, "you will not wish you had spent more time gaming." Mike took the stance that gaming provides temporary joys that can't replace real-life experiences and that it's our inherent responsibility as human beings with finite lifespans to seek out those experiences. He argued that "gaming is a hobby and not a replacement for a life well-lived" and that it's not our gaming achievements but our real life ones that we'll proudly tell our grandchildren.

I think we can all agree that it's important to have offline hobbies and interests that help you keep active, but I take exception to the notion that we might regret time spent gaming on our deathbeds. Published data on the top five regrets of the dying actually seems to directly refute this idea, and my life experiences have shown the exact opposite of some of the points Mike makes. MMOs have given me some experiences that I'll probably treasure for a lifetime, and gaming as a hobby has provided me with much more than just temporary joys and escapism; it's helped me discover talents I didn't know I possessed, given me the push I needed to get a good education, led me to employment, and put me in contact with lifelong friends. On my deathbed, I'll probably wish I'd spent more time gaming rather than less.

In this opinion piece, I look at evidence that suggests we won't regret gaming on our deathbeds and make the case that gaming can be just as worthwhile as offline pursuits.
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action-rpgactivisionbattlenetblizzardblizzard-entertainmentccpccp-gamesconsolecultured3deathdeathbeddeathbed-regretsdiablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidustdust-514dyingendgameenormous-piles-of-meateveeve onlineeve-onlineexperienceexperiencesfantasyfeaturedfpsfree-to-playgame-designgame-developmentgamesgaminggothic-fantasyjane-mcgonigallivestreamingmaking-moneymiscellaneousmmo industrymmofpsmmorpgmmorpgsmmosmultiplayernyphuronline-gamesonline-multiplayeropinionplaystationplaystation-3predestinationps3raidingraidsrantrantsregretregretsregrets-of-the-dyingrpgsandboxsci-fishootersoapboxsubscriptiontedted-talksthe soapboxthe-soapboxvideowarcraftwaste-of-timeworld of warcraftworld-of-warcraftwowTue, 16 Jul 2013 11:00:00 -0400319|20665492https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-summoners-guidebook-how-do-assassins-work-in-league-of-leg/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-summoners-guidebook-how-do-assassins-work-in-league-of-leg/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-summoners-guidebook-how-do-assassins-work-in-league-of-leg/#comments

In case you didn't notice, the title of this week's column is a question. It's not because I know the answer; it's because I've been thinking a lot about it lately and don't have a really good answer.

Assassins are in a strange state when it comes to teamfights. In League of Legends, there's a period when teams tend to group up to fight over objectives. This marks the midgame in Summoner's Rift, it happens after altars unlock in Twisted Treeline, and it occurs anytime both teams know where the other team is on the Crystal Scar. We've discussed teamfights a lot already, but what is troubling is the presence of assassins in these fights. Assassins are best when they're able to jump in and kill an unprepared target, ideally before a teamfight starts. Once that's done, their team can jump in with a numbers advantage and take the objective or wipe out the enemy.

When both teams are grouped up ahead of time, assassins lose a lot of their might. Assassins can't kill without exposing themselves to heavy risk, which makes them a liability to their team until they jump in. After they jump in, they're still likely to be the first ones to get focused down.

What do we do about this? What's the solution? I don't have a clear answer -- but I can still share my observations.
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akaliassassinassasssinsdyingevelynnf2pfeaturedfree-to-playkassadinleagueleague of legendsleague-of-legendslolmobanurse-akaliopinionpatrick-does-not-know-everything-about-leagueplaying-badpvpquestionquestion-for-readersriotriot-gamessummoners-guidebookteamfightteamfightingteamfightsthe summoner's guidebookthe-summoners-guidebookThu, 09 May 2013 18:00:00 -0400319|20562104https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/breakfast-topic-do-you-view-death-as-a-failure/https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/breakfast-topic-do-you-view-death-as-a-failure/https://wow.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/breakfast-topic-do-you-view-death-as-a-failure/#comments

Have you become so comfortable in WoW that dying during the course of normal play makes you die again -- from embarrassment? Progression raiding aside, death as a personal failure certainly seems to be the prevailing attitude in some quarters. When you're so familiar with every nook and cranny of the content, the general mechanics, and your character's abilities that you can recover from just about any momentary lapse of attention or care, death does begin to smell a little fail-tastic.

Or does it? My fondest memories in any MMO almost always revolve around moments of temporary insanity -- times when we bit off way more than we could chew and somebody (or everybody) died spectacularly as a result. Heck, there's even a guild based on the premise! Still, you won't get very far exploring the range of what your character can do if you never push the envelope. Some players relish the challenge of seeing how far they get soloing a raid instance; others quail from the inevitable string of deaths. An overly cautious approach can push activities like PvP completely off the table for players who are afraid that death equals failure in their eyes and the rest of the players around them.

Does death during the normal course of questing, grouping, or running a raid you're fairly familiar with represent a personal failure to you? Do you feel embarrassment when you die in front of other players? Do you prefer that the game be balanced so that you rarely if ever die? Maybe you believe a little death and danger add spice to in-game life. If you wish WoW's overall challenge rating were a little less forgiving, do you think you'd feel comfortable with dying more frequently, or do you think the bar and community attitudes on death and skill are already firmly entrenched?
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breakfast topicsdeathdyingfailurefeaturedgame-discussiongamer-discussionwipeworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsSun, 04 Nov 2012 08:00:00 -050099|20369385https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/28/the-daily-grind-whats-been-your-best-recent-death/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/28/the-daily-grind-whats-been-your-best-recent-death/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/28/the-daily-grind-whats-been-your-best-recent-death/#comments

So the other day I was doing my typical Guild Wars 2 exploration thing when I saw that I was close to a point of interest that I needed. It was down a frozen river, so I started jogging in an Asuran fashion. I was a little distracted, however, and ended up running right off a frozen waterfall to do a fatal faceplant some fifty feet below. You can see the result above.

The funny thing is that I landed next to another dead player, whose corpse let out a guffaw when she saw me arrive in the same fashion. Sometimes death loves company, y'know?

In the spirit of my many, many boneheaded deaths, I'd love to hear about one of your best demises as of late. Was it funny? Embarrassing? Epic? Futile?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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culturedaily-grinddeathdemisediedyingfunnygame-over-man-game-overguild-wars-2humormiscellaneousopiniontdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindSun, 28 Oct 2012 08:00:00 -0400319|20356521https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/the-daily-grind-when-do-you-consider-a-game-to-be-dying/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/the-daily-grind-when-do-you-consider-a-game-to-be-dying/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/the-daily-grind-when-do-you-consider-a-game-to-be-dying/#comments

If you listen to internet negativity, every game is dying. World of Warcraft is dying, some folks say, because it's lost a fraction of its population after seven years. RIFT is "obviously" pushing out tons of content only because it's desperate and dying. Two million players and queues in Star Wars: The Old Republic also mean the game is dying. A game goes free-to-play? Dying. Keeps a subscription? Dying. Box on sale? Dying. Moves to Steam? Dying. Merges servers? Dying. Doesn't merge servers? Dying!

It's true that some games have gone under, but many more are hanging in there after a decade, even if they aren't blockbusters that impress people used to seeing populations in the millions. If World of Warcraft dwindled to as few players as, say, Asheron's Call, I still wouldn't call that dying. It might be small, but it's still alive and still getting updates, and that's more than I can say for some games.

What about you -- when, exactly, in a game's timeline do you consider that game to be dying?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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acasherons-callbrianna-royce-tdgdaily-grinddyingf2pfree-to-playhumormergemergesmiscellaneousmmo industrynegativityopinionpopulationqueueriftserver-mergestar-wars-the-old-republicsubsubscriptionswtortdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindtorworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 09 Apr 2012 08:00:00 -0400319|20206961https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/pathfinder-online-takes-a-look-at-death/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/pathfinder-online-takes-a-look-at-death/https://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/18/pathfinder-online-takes-a-look-at-death/#comments

No matter what happens, sooner or later you're going to die in an MMO. It's pretty much a given. So it's probably for the best that the fourth developer blog on Pathfinder Online is all about death -- what happens when you die, what happens when another player kills you, and what you can do about it.

The death system is reminiscent in some ways of what would happen on death in EverQuest. You respawn at a predetermined location, and while you keep any equipment you were wearing, the rest of your inventory is on your soulless husk of a body. Retrieve it first and you get everything back. If someone else loots your body first, though, he or she gest a random assortment of items from your inventory and the rest are destroyed.

The blog entry also covers the issue of bounties, player-killing, and attempting to dissuade others from killing players in lawful regions. Players can set bounties on their killers, potentially refreshing the bounty each time said killer is successfully killed in retaliation, making a bounty hunter or group of same very rich indeed. Those interested in Pathfinder Online should check out all the details and keep watching as the game moves through development.
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deathdeath-penaltydeath-systemdevelopmentdyingfantasygame mechanicsgame-mechanicsgoblinworksnews itemspaizopaizo-publishingpathfinderpathfinder-onlinesandboxWed, 18 Jan 2012 19:30:00 -0500319|20151633https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/the-soapbox-be-here-now/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/the-soapbox-be-here-now/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/08/09/the-soapbox-be-here-now/#comments

Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column.

Games die. It's an unpleasant reality but a reality just the same, with the highest-profile death on the horizon being Star Wars Galaxies. Business decisions get made, and unfortunately, sometimes those decisions boil down to "this game is no longer worth the money to keep it running." If you're lucky, the announcement comes with a great deal of time for you to wrap up what you've always wanted to do in the game; if you're unlucky, you might have a couple of weeks before the servers go dark.

So what do you do as a player? How do you cope with the fact that the game is shutting down? There are a lot of approaches, but I think it's unfortunate that most of the reactions seem to center around some last-ditch effort to save the game from oblivion. It's entirely missing the point to try and pull the game back from the brink of death, and it does a disservice to both the game and the players when you spend your last days desperately fighting a foregone conclusion.
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closingclosing-eventsclosuredyingdying-gameevents (real-world)featuredgame-closergame-shutdownmiscellaneousmmo industryopinionserver-shutdownshutdownsoapboxstar-wars-galaxiesswgtabula-rasathe soapboxthe-matrix-onlinetmotrTue, 09 Aug 2011 13:00:00 -0400319|20009898https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/30/the-daily-grind-which-character-death-did-you-find-the-most-mem/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/30/the-daily-grind-which-character-death-did-you-find-the-most-mem/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/30/the-daily-grind-which-character-death-did-you-find-the-most-mem/#comments

Your character will die. You know this going in. Death penalties in some games are harsher than others, but every single MMO assumes that your character will at some point drop to zero hit points. By the time you hit max level, you'll usually have several deaths under your belt. Some of them fall into the category of doing something you knew was stupid at the time, some of them were just mistakes, and some of them... well, they were the sort of deaths that you remember.

Maybe you died because you were raising a teammate in City of Heroes and didn't think about where you were standing. Maybe you died from a knockback effect in Warhammer Online that threw you right off a ledge. Whatever the case, today we want to hear about your legendary death stories, the times when your character met his or her end in the most spectacular fashion possible. Which of the many deaths you've experienced still sticks in your head?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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always-look-on-the-bright-side-of-deathanecdotescharacter-deathculturedeathdramatic-deathsdyingfunny-deathshumormiscellaneousopiniontdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindThu, 30 Jun 2011 08:00:00 -0400319|19979878https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/21/the-perfect-ten-mmo-forum-terms-beaten-to-death/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/21/the-perfect-ten-mmo-forum-terms-beaten-to-death/https://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/21/the-perfect-ten-mmo-forum-terms-beaten-to-death/#comments

If there's one aspect of MMO culture that I have difficulty saying anything positive about, it would have to be the official forum. No matter how well-moderated and well-intentioned studio forums may be, they're essentially giant signs broadcasting "COME WHINE HERE!" When you witness a 500-page thread that's responding to a badly spelled rant about a nerf we'll all forget about in a month's time, it's hard not to break down and weep at the time and energy lost to such trivial stupidity.

And with the forums -- and to a lesser extent, comments on blogs, Twitter, and telegraphs -- comes a shocking array of linguistic conformity. You see, when people are upset or eager to prove a point, they have no time to sit down and calmly think of a way to fully communicate their perspectives. No time! Instead, they reach deep into the well of the same overused words and phrases, give them a hearty kick in the direction of their post, and feel as though they've conjured up a masterful work of literature.

So today I'm going to exorcise 10 of the most overused, abused, and tired forum terms seen daily in your local MMO forum. Then I will move on with my life and suggest you do the same.
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balancedcan-i-have-your-stuffcarebearscharlie-sheenculturedirectx11dyingfailfanboisfeaturedfirstforum-termsforumshatershumormiscellaneousmmo-forumsmmo-termsofficial-forumsopinionperfect tenperfect-10perfect-tenridiculous-clamsirslap-in-the-facethe-perfect-tentldrtoo-long-didnt-readtwitterunbalanacedwinningworld-of-warcraftwow-killerThu, 21 Apr 2011 15:00:00 -0400319|19916312https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/the-daily-grind-do-you-rage-quit/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/the-daily-grind-do-you-rage-quit/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/the-daily-grind-do-you-rage-quit/#comments

Our favorite games provoke a range of emotions, and whether it's love, hate, fear, amusement, or simple relaxation, we usually keep coming back for more. Anger is an emotional response that is pretty common for some folks, so common in fact that the catch phrase "rage quit" is circulated several times daily on many message boards and in-game chat channels. While most emotions make us want to play more, anger often leads to a quick disconnect, and depending on your personality, either a string of expletives or a weary sigh.

Whether it's due to failure in the team-based combat scenarios common to Global Agenda, losing your loot (and everything else) in FFA corpse-defiling contests like Lineage II and Darkfall, or dying at the hands of AI in one of the thousands of PvE-focused titles littering the landscape, we're constantly confronted with digital mortality and its emotional effects. The question of the day, Massively folk, is have you, do you, or did you used to rage quit? Why and in what game(s)?

Welcome to this week's Storyboard, which originally was going to be very different than normal until I started writing my first idea. I discovered an important fact halfway through the writing -- the idea was really stupid. So I killed it, and that segues nicely into what I want to talk about: Death. Sooner or later every group of roleplayers in an MMO has to deal with it, and considering how many worlds have certain monsters roaming about whose only purpose is delivering untold harm to player characters, it's probably going to be sooner.

Of course, death poses all sorts of problems in game design anyway -- what are the penalties, what are the lingering effects, is it a major inconvenience or a small hiccup, et cetera. But it poses a unique problem for roleplaying, because as it stands, you don't stay dead for long no matter what. So how do you deal with the implications of a world where death is less of a great beyond and, at most, a lost potential character title?
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backstorycashing-inchecking-outcolumndeathdyingend-of-lifefeaturedgame mechanicsgetting-snuffedhumorjoining-the-choir-invisiblelorelosing-lifeopinionpining-for-the-fjordsroleplayingrpsettingstorystoryboardFri, 29 Oct 2010 16:00:00 -0400319|19692402https://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/breakfast-topic-lets-talk-about-fun-ways-to-die/https://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/breakfast-topic-lets-talk-about-fun-ways-to-die/https://wow.joystiq.com/2010/10/04/breakfast-topic-lets-talk-about-fun-ways-to-die/#comments

Yes, when we hear the graveyard music, we often indulge in various expressions of nerd rage. However, there is no denying that there are some cool, funny and emblematic ways to die, both throughout the leveling process and in the endgame. Who has not gotten stomped by the Fel Reaver in Hellfire Peninsula? Were you ever pwned by Hogger? And what about all those times when your famous last words were, "I'm a _____. Five levels above me? No big deal ..."

My characters have met their deaths in the elevator of the Undercity, been shot out of the sky near Alliance camps in Outland and steamrolled under various groups of mobs in Stranglethorn Vale. One of my favorite deaths occurred when my husband and I rolled Forsaken toons together. I rolled a warrior, he rolled a rogue, and we had fun roflpwning low-level mobs in our BoA gear. We found our way to Silverpine Forest, and I noticed that one of the nearby worgen had a different skin color than the others. Of course, being the compulsive silver-elite-killer that I am, I immediately targeted the mob, only to discover that it was a gold elite -- a level 20 Son of Arugal. I shouted and we ran, avoiding the mob the first time, only to have it pat up behind us and kill me a few minutes later. Darling hubby got away (stupid rogues -- always run when there's a fight).

One of my more shameful deaths occurred after playing chicken with the ground on my level 80 druid. The most exciting part of this game is wondering if there is enough lag at the moment that you click the flight form button that you'll end up dying anyway. I was flying over Dalaran and told my hubby, "Hey, watch this!" As he stood at the bank, I proceeded to fall through the air, expecting to be able to transform into flight form at the last second. Oh wait, fail -- I forgot that you cannot mount up on flying mounts in Dalaran. After he stopped laughing, he was nice and rezzed my splattered corpse.

Sure, we all die in raid wipes and in PvP -- but what about the neat ways to die in the game? What has been your favorite or most hilarious death in the World?
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breakfast topicsdeathdyingfacebookfeedgame-discussiongamer-discussionguest postspwnpwnedworld-of-warcraft-discussionworld-of-warcraft-topicswow-discussionwow-hot-topicswow-issueswow-topicsMon, 04 Oct 2010 08:00:00 -040099|19657792https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/06/the-daily-grind-what-do-you-when-things-turn-south/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/06/the-daily-grind-what-do-you-when-things-turn-south/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/06/the-daily-grind-what-do-you-when-things-turn-south/#comments

There's a crucial tipping point in any sort of party scenario when it becomes obvious that the situation is going badly. More to the point, there's a moment when you realize that every single person in the party is likely to die in short order. In some games such as Final Fantasy XI, death is a fairly major penalty; in other games, such as World of Warcraft, death is not much more than a slight inconvenience.

But even if death results in nothing more than respawning a few seconds later in Star Trek Online, when the group is together, people can act differently. So what do you do? Do you try to take enemy attention so that your fellow party members can get away? Do you make a run for it, figuring that whatever's coming for you will eat someone else first? Or do you try to go down with guns blazing and make as much of a dent as you can?
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culturedeathdeath-penaltydyingff11ffxifinal-fantasy-11final-fantasy-xigame mechanicsgroupinghumoropinionpartyparty-mechanicspenaltiesrespawnsstar-trek-onlinestotdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 06 Sep 2010 08:00:00 -0400319|19621784https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-daily-grind-to-die-to-sleep-no-more/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-daily-grind-to-die-to-sleep-no-more/https://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/13/the-daily-grind-to-die-to-sleep-no-more/#comments

There's one way in which MMOs universally mirror life -- in the words of William Shatner, you are going to die. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but sooner or later your character is going to expire. Unwanted aggro, environmental damage, unmatched PvP, misuse of skills, healer AFK... there are a lot of ways you can bite the dust time and again.

Of course, death in real life is a lot more permanent than that of an MMO -- but dying still carries consequences, ranging from losing your hard-won equipment to a slightly longer delay before your next level. On the one hand, harsher penalties make cheating death that much more satisfying, and they help encourage teamwork and community in hopes of avoiding that fate. On the other hand, you are going to get hit by those harsh penalties sooner or later, and it makes experimentation much less feasible when you're constantly on guard for death.

Where do you prefer a game's death penalty? Do you want to cautiously avoid falling, or would you rather get hit with a slap on the wrist so you can get back in the game quickly?
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culturedeathdeath-penaltydyingequipment-damageequipment-lossexperience-lossgame mechanicsopinionpenaltytdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindSat, 13 Feb 2010 08:00:00 -0500319|19356442https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/06/04/achieved-level-1-to-80-with-no-deaths/https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/06/04/achieved-level-1-to-80-with-no-deaths/https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/06/04/achieved-level-1-to-80-with-no-deaths/#comments

There are a few accomplishments in this game that truly amaze me anymore. Leveling characters is routine now, and having an army of high level alts at your disposal isn't something super uncommon anymore. However I have been amazed by this:

There is no achievement for doing this, however I wouldn't blame Blizzard one bit if they went in and retroactively added one just for Cautious. Lord of the Rings Online has a no-death achievement, but only up through level 20. I got to level 18 without dying on LotRO on a recent attempt, however I perished when some "really really super awesome person" trained a bunch of mobs near me just as I executed an AoE attack. "Really really super awesome person" is what I called him too. Honest.

A few months ago in The Queue a reader asked if there would ever be (or is) such an achievement for WoW, and my response at the time was no, there is not one now and probably would not be one later. I reasoned that including such an achievement would just present undue psychological damage on the player if they died at 79 from an unforeseen circumstance. I still don't think there will be one, but it's pretty awesome someone managed to do it sans in-game achievement.

There are some interesting statistics Cautious had upon reaching level 80 without deaths. You can check out a lot of them on her armory profile, but those are inflated just a tad since she has played since reaching 80.

Some of her key stats upon reaching level 80 include:
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achievementachievementscautiousdeaddeathdeathsdyingfeaturedlevelingleveling-without-dyingnews itemsno-deathnot-deadodd-levelingodds and endspermadeathundyingwow-achievementwow-achievementswow-leveling-without-dyingwow-no-deathwow-no-deathswow-undyingThu, 04 Jun 2009 20:00:00 -040099|19053104https://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/how-can-you-tell-your-online-friends-that-youve-passed-away/https://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/how-can-you-tell-your-online-friends-that-youve-passed-away/https://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/17/how-can-you-tell-your-online-friends-that-youve-passed-away/#commentsGamers know that online friends are important. We spend untold hours raiding together, questing together, leveling together, and laughing together. Part of the reason we even play MMOs is because we want to play a game with thousands of other players and meet new people while we do something we all can enjoy together.

But what if the unthinkable should happen? What if you should die unexpectedly?

Methods are being set up to deal with this sort of thing -- including everything from websites sending out e-mails from beyond the grave to just giving a really trusted friend access to your e-mail account so he can tell your contacts that you've passed away. Whatever the method though, it seems like this problem will only be increasing as more people begin spending their time online and finding relationships where they never could before.
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blizzardblizzard-entertainmentculturedeathdyingfantasyfriendsguildsjerald-spangenbergpost-deathrelationshipsworld of warcraftworld-of-warcraftwowTue, 17 Mar 2009 20:00:00 -0400319|1490900https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/the-immortal-clarifications/https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/the-immortal-clarifications/https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/03/06/the-immortal-clarifications/#commentsThis was hinted at the other day when the idea of an "Immortal" achievement for Ulduar was thrown around, but Bornakk has stepped up to clear up exactly what's supposed to be happening with Naxx's ultimate "flawless victory" achievement.

He clears up all the questions that people have asked. To get the achievement, you only have to be present for Kel'thuzad, as long as no one has died on any of the other bosses. And "dying" on the other bosses means any deaths at all -- including wipes, or any other deaths while bosses are engadged. Deaths on trash are apparently fine, and will not lose you the achievement, but if anyone dies on a boss, the raid ID is lost for the week and you've got to start over again next time (of course, you can still go through and get all of the loot and other rewards, so it's not a total wash).

It's tough, no question, but remember that this is an achievement, not a part of normal progress. It's designed to really push your guild (or at least show you've got some good gear). While most of Naxx won't give an experienced, well-geared guild much trouble, achievements like this one can and should be more of a challenge.
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achievementachievementsanalysis / opinionblizzardbossesdeathsdyingforumsguildinstanceskelthuzadnaxxramasraidingthe-immortaltrashwrath of the lich kingFri, 06 Mar 2009 17:00:00 -050099|1480843https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/01/09/running-the-obsidian-sanctum-death-derby/https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/01/09/running-the-obsidian-sanctum-death-derby/https://wow.joystiq.com/2009/01/09/running-the-obsidian-sanctum-death-derby/#comments

There's no achievement for this (as far as we know, though if Blizzard is listening, maybe we'll see it in the next patch), but it's still awesome. A guild called You Are So Dead on Kael'thas decided to run the first annual Obsidian Sanctum Death Derby, in which they tried to make it around Obsidian Sanctum on mounts without dying. As you can see, it's quite a run -- they didn't aggro the middle boss until the very last lap, and the max run around without dying was about four laps (Paladins obviously had the speed and plate bonus, though a Warrior and a Mage also ended up among the winners, who all got 100g each).

Unfortunately, the video above was made with a cheap version of FRAPS, so as atomic645 says, you get all of the starts and almost none of the spectacular deaths. But they do plan to do the death race again (and maybe this is something you can try with your guild on the next OS run), so expect more video soon.
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awesomebossesdeath-derbydyingfan stufffunguildshumorinstancesmagemountsobsidian-sanctumodds and endspaladinsraidingwarriorsyou-are-so-deadFri, 09 Jan 2009 14:00:00 -050099|1424750https://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/breakfast-topic-your-last-breath/https://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/breakfast-topic-your-last-breath/https://wow.joystiq.com/2008/09/04/breakfast-topic-your-last-breath/#commentsA pretty fun forum thread caught the attention of Bornakk and many, many regular posters as well. The player Course of Medivh-US asks a question: If your character said one last thing upon dying, what would it be? A majority of the responses were comedy answers, and only a handful leaned over to the serious side. The jokes were pretty hit or miss, but I got a few laughs out of it. Among my favorites...

"Haha, you fool! You fell for one of the classic blunders, the first of which is, "never get involved in a land war in Kalimdor." Only slightly less well-known is this; never go in against a Gnome when death is on the line! Hahahaha... *dies*"

"Pat? What pat?"

"wwwwwwwwssssssssssddddddddaaawdssssd"

"Et tu, Brutallus?"

"With my dying breath, I curse Kalgan!"

Being an RP nerd, my characters would probably say something more serious. My Priest would lament her failures or regret she couldn't have done more before the end. My Paladin probably wouldn't say anything. She would just harden a defiant glare and pass on. If we were leaning to the silly side, my Shadow Priest would probably say something like, "Whoops, shouldn't have hit Shadow Word: Death there." Actually, I probably say that a lot already... but let's not talk about that. Let's extend this to you guys: What would your character say with their final breath? Heck, how do you envision your character taking the final spill? Old and grey on their deathbed, going peacefully? Being cut down in glorious battle? Blowing themselves up while skilling up Engineering?
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bornakkbreakfast topicsbrutallusdeathdyingengineeringforumsquotesshadow-word-deathThu, 04 Sep 2008 08:00:00 -040099|1303835https://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/vp-says-gametaps-troubles-are-greatly-exaggerated/https://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/vp-says-gametaps-troubles-are-greatly-exaggerated/https://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/03/vp-says-gametaps-troubles-are-greatly-exaggerated/#comments

In an interview with GameDaily, GameTap's VP of Content, Rick Sanchez, explains that rumors of the gaming-buffet's death are "greatly exaggerated." Although he avoids divulging whether GameTap is profitable, he does say that it is hitting parent company Turner Broadcasting's P&L (profits and losses) figures, so apparently it's still keeping daddy happy.

Although rumors of GameTap's demise have pretty much been present since the service launched -- something even Sanchez jokes about -- things went into overdrive after the company laid off its all-star editorial team. GameDaily reports it heard rumors in the wake of the firings that the service would remain online only as a shell until December and then be buried. Sanchez "categorically denies" any of that, pointing to Grimm and more announcements expected in the future as proof of the service's growth.
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deathdyinggametaponlinepcrick-sanchezsanchezThu, 03 Jul 2008 15:30:00 -040011|1245023https://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/30/raid-rx-analyzing-your-healers-part-4/https://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/30/raid-rx-analyzing-your-healers-part-4/https://wow.joystiq.com/2008/06/30/raid-rx-analyzing-your-healers-part-4/#comments

Raid Rx is designed to encapsulate and cure the shock and horror that is 25-man raid healing. Ok, so it's mostly horror... Anyways, if you're a big fan of X-TREME Whack-A-Mole (or are being forced into it against your will) this is the column for you. That above is the fun product of Wordle. I creatively call it "WoW WWS Healing". Click on it to give it a spin of your own.

So, if you've just randomly stumbled upon this multi-part saga on WWS meets healing, here's a lovely link to get you caught up. For the rest of you operating with mere short term memory lapses, this link right here will transport you to the example WWS we've been mulling about. But more on that after the jump.

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analysis / opiniondruiddyinggurtogg-bloodboilhitshow-toshpspaladinpriestraid rx (raid healing)raidingshamanspell-selectiontickstipswwsMon, 30 Jun 2008 13:00:00 -040099|1235798https://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/animations-to-die-for/https://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/animations-to-die-for/https://massively.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/animations-to-die-for/#commentsI was chatting with a friend the other day (shut up! I do too have friends!) and we were playing reference poker -- you know, someone makes a comment referring to some aspect of pop culture, and the other person replies in kind. She said ' ... you are eaten by a grue.' I made the obligatory Zork return reference and we moved on, but the bit about being eaten stayed with me for some reason. That night, I was running around in WoW and realized that nobody in Azeroth is eaten by anything.

Why can't we have encounter-specific death animations? I, for one, would love a chance to be messily devoured by a Sludge Beast! I can imagine the horrific wounds as it slid over me, eating away at my flesh until only bones remained. A much more affecting experience than merely swooning and dropping dead, as though nothing more mortal than narcolepsy had occurred.

Or how about a set of pre-built death animations, available at the touch of a key? Everything from 'clutching at your heart: myocardial infarction', to 'going white as a sheet and dropping dead from fright', to 'Scanners cranial explosion'. In fact, wouldn't this make pulling off the ol' 'Feign Death' trick a lot more fun? I'm telling you, it's the little things in life that make existence bearable. Let's see more creativity with our dying moments, developers! Believe me, you stand to ... make a killing. Hahaha! Oh, I slay me.
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animationsdeathdyingfantasyfeign-deathgame mechanicsgruehumornarcolepsyopinionroleplayingscannerssludge-beastworld of warcraftworld-of-warcraftzorkFri, 18 Jan 2008 13:00:00 -0500319|1089912https://wow.joystiq.com/2007/05/31/breakfast-topic-famous-last-words/https://wow.joystiq.com/2007/05/31/breakfast-topic-famous-last-words/https://wow.joystiq.com/2007/05/31/breakfast-topic-famous-last-words/#comments

I can't tell you how many times this has happened, and I'm sure you can all relate. You're in a group, in an instance, and in (or were in at the time) unfamiliar territory. Your group leader gives the command. You, being a good group member, follow the command that you've been given, only to see "wait!" go by just a split second too late as your group leader realizes that they've made a tactical error in judgment. The only problem is that you are already committed, and there is no going back. The next thing you know you're staring the rez angel in the face, and the rest of your team is either screaming in /p or (more often in my experience) howling with laughter in TeamSpeak at your group leader who just happens to be a (now) very embarrassed guild mate.

I think these kinds of stories are really kind of universal in WoW, no matter what language, countries, or other differences we may have separating us. In my case, I've been involved in wipes in places as varied as Wailing Caverns where we jumped in the wrong place, not knowing you needed to clear all of the Scarlet Monetary Cathedral before you pull Mograine, and level aggro jumping off a balcony pulling huge amounts of the dungeon down on us in BRD.

Of course, my personal favorite involved watching a Shaman say "Check this out!" and putting on Water Walking. He then decided it would be cool to run down the river as opposed to the land as a means of showing off. This, in and of itself, was no real big deal. However when he got to the end of the river rather than stopping he apparently completely forgot that he had Water Walking on and decided to take a swan drive over the waterfall. His intent was to just land in the pool below and swim to the side while the rest of the party had to ride down the cliff path in the Hinterlands. The only problem with this is that if you leave Water Walking on, it tends to makes the water react like you've just jumped onto solid ground. Needless to say that Shaman immediately died, and the guild mates he was showing off to still haven't let him live that one down as yet. (And frankly, we probably never will because he never lets us live ours down, either.)

What famous last word situations have you been involved in? Are there any that your guild mates still haven't let you live down? Anything that made you completely howl with laughter when it happened and still makes you chuckle even now? Share your stories!
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analysis / opinionbreakfast topicsdeaddeathdyingfamous last wordsfamouslastwordsguildhumorinstancesnoob mistakesnoobmistakesodds and endsrez angelrezangelstupidvirtual selvesworld of warcraftworldofwarcraftwowThu, 31 May 2007 08:02:00 -040099|904690https://wow.joystiq.com/2007/04/20/how-to-die-without-style/https://wow.joystiq.com/2007/04/20/how-to-die-without-style/https://wow.joystiq.com/2007/04/20/how-to-die-without-style/#commentsOver on his blog, Gitr discusses the many ways in which one can die when playing a warrior after playing a priest for 64 levels. And oh -- I feel his pain. There's a reason I always play healing classes that stretches beyond helping others. There's no better way to save yourself than with a quick power word: shield or a timely psychic scream. While I've never seriously played a warrior, Gitr lists a few ways to die that I'm completely familiar with:

Wait until you get to 1000HP and try to heal yourself.

Spam the Bubble key over and over again to deflect damage.

Aggro too much and try to Psychic Scream.

Whenever I'm playing my rogue, I just keep hitting the flash heal button and it never works out quite the way I expected. (Why not, I may never know.) However, I'm very glad to read that I'm not the only one who has this sort of problem when switching classes.
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analysis / opiniondeathdyinggitrhealershealingpriestwarcraftwarriorworld of warcraftworldofwarcraftwowFri, 20 Apr 2007 16:29:00 -040099|878433